IT WAS the Victorians who brought us Muscular Christianity, but now a vicar in Devon has taken the concept a step further by repurposing a medieval church constructing right into a parish gymnasium.
Tattooed, bearded, and bearing a muscular frame, the Team Vicar of Okehampton, in west Devon, the Revd Leigh Winsbury, had a moment of inspiration within the local pub last yr, and shortly set a few latest model of mission.
“We had just accomplished a sponsored abseil to boost funds for restoring our church tower at St John the Baptist, Haverleigh, on the sting of Dartmoor,” he said this week. “I used to be reflecting on what we’d do next, and the thought got here to me.”
Mr Winsbury had been lifting free weights at home, across the vicarage: the closest gyms were a minimum of a 20-minute drive away. A recent public survey about one other vacant constructing within the town had suggested that the community was keen to have an exercise facility. He believed that the little constructing on the church gate was ideal.
St John’s, HatherleighThe Team Vicar of Okehampton, in west Devon, the Revd Leigh Winsbury
“I got some mates out, and we worked together over successive Saturdays to get it ready,” he said. “My wife made bacon rolls for us and everybody put their back into it.”
Within weeks, the “old vestry” because it had been known within the parish — an area measuring 20 feet by 15 feet — was transformed into “John’s Gym” (“for John the Baptist, since it is his parish”).
Equipment was easily sourced, and there are about 70 members, “of all ages, female and male”, who each pay £10 per thirty days. The parish has decided that income from the initiative will likely be used to fund further mission work, including a café, coffee mornings, and a carers’ group.
“We’ve been so surprised by the demand for it, and thankfully it never feels too busy. Up to 12 people come every day, and there’s a buzz in regards to the place. The community has really embraced it.”
Mr Winsbury estimates that the overlap between those that have a fitness regime and attend church is “probably ten to fifteen per cent of individuals”.
The gym even starred within the town carnival this yr. One float featured revellers in choir robes on exercise bikes and lifting weights: a humorous reference to the parish gym.
“When you’re within the carnival, you truly know you’ve made it,” Mr Winsbury said.
His is a ministry of each stamina and strength. “You understand how it’s within the country. I even have five parishes to look after here, and that is a fantastic strategy to be available and have good conversations. It’s also good for physical and mental health.”
The old vestry constructing, he believes, began life as a dwelling for the parish’s chantry monks, who were dispersed on the Reformation. It now pulses to a distinct every day rhythm, although not without theology.
“I’m planning a banner for the wall with a quote from Psalm 139: ‘I praise you because I’m fearfully and splendidly made.’ The incarnation says the physical world matters so we must always treat our bodies with some honour.”
Inspiration, definitely, for the muscular and the Christian alike.
